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THE same driver as the other day guided the carriage smoothly down the road toward the Cathedral. Claudio had shut the curtains the moment they climbed inside, leaving Ophelia to stare aimlessly at the toes of her boots.
“…You and Gian…” Claudio began, but no matter how long Ophelia waited, no continuation came.
Ophelia raised her head and found Claudio staring intensely at her. Normally, his gaze was surly, but right now the downward tilt of his eyebrows looked almost… uneasy? Ophelia tilted her head just the tiniest bit, puzzled by this expression she’d never seen on his face before.
“What was the ‘unspeakable thing’ you and Gian did?”
Ophelia flinched.
“But, you’re… You’re both women…!”
“I-I can’t talk about it! I know it was wrong, but…”
“I’m not going to let it go until you tell me, you know.”
“Eep!”
“I won’t tell anyone. Just say it. Have I ever lied to you?”
“No, you haven’t.”
Ophelia’s unhesitating response eased Claudio’s foul mood a bit. However, not a moment later, he was frowning again and glaring at Ophelia. Claudio’s finger tapped irritably on the windowsill as he awaited her response.
“Just… Please don’t tell Father… He’d be so disappointed in me…”
“What did that bastard make you do?! Hurry up and spit it out already!”
“Eek! W-We ate sweets after we’d already brushed our teeth! Not only that, but we ate them in bed and got crumbs all over the place! I’m sure you know how messy pastries can be…”
Claudio’s elbow slipped off the windowsill, but Ophelia didn’t notice. Face pale, she pressed her hands to her cheeks and continued, speaking slowly.
“And after that we… We ate strawberry shortcake with our hands! …I’ve never done something like that before. I knew it was wrong, but… I just couldn’t refuse! Lord Gian made it look so tasty! Then we stayed up most of the night reading magazines, and, and… Didn’t wake up until noon! Please, please don’t tell Father. If Father finds out, I… I… will probably be grounded from dessert forever!”
Ophelia gazed off into the distance longingly, probably remembering the strawberry shortcake.
Claudio, who at some point during Ophelia’s confession had grasped his forehead in his right hand and lowered his head, finally spoke. “…I thought it must be something like that…!”
Gian, you bastard…! What the hell was up with that highly suggestive phrasing?! I’m really going to banish him from the Ministry of Justice—no, the entire Royal Palace—once and for all!
For a while, the only sounds were the rhythmic clopping of the horses’ hooves and the faint squeaking of the wheels. The two remained silent for a time, but then Claudio let out a heavy sigh, prompting Ophelia to look up.
“Um, Director…” Ophelia began hesitantly, as if testing the waters. “What is our business at the Cathedral?”
Claudio leaned his elbow on the windowsill and propped his chin up on his hand, a sulky expression on his face as he turned just his eyes toward Ophelia. “There are still a few things I want to ask the pope. I’m not the type to leave things open-ended like that.”
“Um, am I really necessary?”
“There’s no guarantee that the pope won’t lie. And besides, you’re an involved party, right?”
While they were discussing this, the carriage pulled up in front of the Cathedral. Just like the last time they were here, Ophelia held on to the belt of Claudio’s jacket as they walked through the entrance gate and into the Cathedral grounds.
Perhaps because the foreign Lartomeum followers had all disappeared, the Cathedral was much less crowded than the last time they were here. Ophelia got her first good look at the front of the Cathedral up close.
The ancient Cathedral gave off an aura of solemn dignity, right down to the marks left on the pillars from countless repairs over the years. The dullness of the floor, despite the Cathedral’s impeccable cleanliness, served as proof of the hundreds of thousands of feet that had trodden this path to offer their prayers to God.
“…Will you also have your wedding ceremony at the Cathedral, Director?” Ophelia asked.
“Who knows. Wait a minute, what do you mean by ‘also’?”
“Lord Gian was saying he wants to hold a flashy wedding ceremony for us at the Cathedral.”
“Don’t listen to anything he says; he’s just talking big.”
They slowly made their way up the stairs leading to the front door. The way their footsteps echoed unnaturally loudly across the space made Ophelia lose her nerve, and she unconsciously clutched Claudio’s belt a bit tighter.
The door creaked as Claudio pushed it open, and Ophelia nervously peeked inside.
Claudio ran his hand gently down her back, as if trying to brush away her fears. They waited a moment, but no one appeared, so Claudio barged right in. His hand was still on Ophelia’s back, steering her forward, so she was propelled into the Cathedral as well, scrambling to avoid tripping over her feet. Once inside, she looked around curiously.
“His Holiness isn’t here.”
Ophelia’s voice echoed down the long, empty hallway.
Just as Claudio, gripping his chin with his free hand, was starting to think that the pope had probably run off somewhere with his broom in hand again, Ophelia began walking unsteadily in the direction they’d gone last time.
“There you go again, running headfirst into an unknown situation…”
“Director, what’s this?” Ophelia asked, pointing to a round pool of water just outside the prayer hall and tilting her head slightly.
“That’s the holy water font. You’re supposed to purify yourself before praying by washing your hands with that water,” Claudio explained calmly. He’d given up on trying to tell Ophelia to use her common sense by this point, knowing that she possessed none.
Water ran in a slow but steady stream from an elaborately engraved faucet jutting out of the wall, and a simple silver vessel with support legs at its base was placed in the pool to catch the water. Ophelia stared as if transfixed at the water that poured over the sides of the vessel into the pool below. She reached out to submerge just the tips of her fingers in the falling water, and her shoulders flinched from how shockingly cold it was.
“Did they always have this silver vessel here?” Claudio muttered to himself. He couldn’t remember but assumed it must’ve always been there. Claudio leaned forward to peer into the font, causing Ophelia to chuckle.
“What?”
“Isn’t there an old fable that says if you look at your reflection too long in the water’s surface, you’ll fall hopelessly in love with yourself, or something? It reminded me of that.”
“I’m not that much of an idiot, thanks,” Claudio shot back sulkily. But when he noticed Ophelia’s reflection in the water, smiling, his expression returned to normal. “…But if you say you like this face, then it’s not so bad… I guess.”